Album Review: Don’t Speak by Culture Wars
Written by: Mona Montella
This might be Culture Wars’ first album, but don’t assume their music will sound unfamiliar. I came across this band at least a year ago - purely by accident - and they have since been a staple in my digital catalogue. Hailing from Austin, Texas, they have been getting steady recognition from online indie circles, way before Don’t Speak was announced. It did not come as a surprise to me, but more as a long-awaited official debut, with some of their songs, such as Miley and In The Morning, already very familiar to the ear.
Don’t Speak, the first and titular song, sets the tone for the entire album, providing musical and thematic context: it frames it perfectly in that 2010s garage rock-vibe that is having a revival just now, and explores the pain that comes from unrequited love and the end of a relationship. These are perhaps common themes, but if some formulas work there must be a reason. It is not yet the time for lovers’ pain to lose its centre-spot in guitar music. While the whole album holds together perfectly, some tracks jumped out immediately among the others: It Hurts and Heaven. Lyrically strong and sonically addictive, as I explored this album, I found myself going back to these time and time again. While Don’t Speak as a whole sits confidently within guitar rock as a genre, it does not lack moments of musical experimentation with the synthy vibes that introduce the seventh track, Wasting My Time.
It is now the band’s turn to bring their work on the road, and perhaps out of their comfort zone: moving from US shows to a full UK tour. And this brings me to another asset I feel this album possesses: these songs all have incredible live-performance potential. It is the strength of most of my favourite bands (where Culture Wars have slowly been making their place), that their music shines the best live. For their Scottish debut, it is worth mentioning that they will be performing at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. While audiences around the world might not be as familiar with this venue, as the Scottish audience it has been the introductory stage for bands who have gone on to have incredibly successful careers, with the likes of Oasis, Biffy Clyro, Radiohead, and Blur having performed there early on in their careers.
On the whole this is a debut, but feels nostalgic at the same time. It sounds fresh and fun, but Culture Wars still do a good job of placing themselves in an existing vibe and lineage. It is a solid body of work from a new band, and that I have been waiting to witness live for a year now. It is a privilege finding out about new musicians in the early stages of their career, it is almost like placing a bet. Looking at their future and at the kind of career they might have, Culture Wars seems to be the safest bet I have placed in a while.
